Abdul Latif Jameel (ALJ) has launched the 11th generation of Toyota's record braking Corolla model. It also unveiled 2014 Yaris at a recent event themed a "New star coming to town."

With 47 years of success and close to 40 million sales in the world behind it, the new Corolla reflects a bolder and more dynamic vehicle, which will redefine consumer perceptions about this iconic sedan.

Adel Ezzat, MD, Toyota marketing operations, Abdul Latif Jameel (ALJ), said on the sidelines of the Corolla launch: "The Corolla has been a record breaker from its introduction in 1966. When the first Corolla rolled off the production line, it was witnessed by 1.3 million Japanese," said Adel Ezzat, MD, ALJ.

"Today, an unbelievable 80 percent of all Corollas made between 1986 and 2006 are still on the road. Due to the success of the Corolla, ALJ is a pioneer of motorization in the Kingdom through its legendary partnership with Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) that has lasted more than half a century," he added.

No other model has reached the 10 million production mark faster than the Corolla, hence the 11th generation was launched in a manner that befits its rank. The new Corolla 2014 was launched at an event that was attended by record breakers such as Billy Wingrove, who holds two Guinness World Records and is the first freestyler to be signed to a professional Football Club (Tottenham Hotspur FC). He was accompanied by Jeremy Lynch who holds four world records and has become a YouTube phenomenon with his videos racking up over 20 million hits. Billy and Jeremy together hold two world records.

Shinichi Yasui, chief engineer, TMC, said: "I believe this new model clearly breathes the Corolla DNA that has been inherited over the model's lifetime. That DNA sets forth the mission of the Corolla to constantly provide concepts and technologies that lead the times and to create the world's best-selling car, and that DNA has now been inherited for a new era. With the 2014 model, I am confident that we have developed an 11th generation sedan that can be driven with an enhanced sense of enjoyment, peace-of-mind and pride."

Nobuyuki Negishi, chief representative of MENA Representative Office, TMC, added: "The 2014 Corolla makes a strong design statement with its unique visual signature, which is highlighted by a more elegant and sportier image to continue Toyota's brand evolution that has been driven recently by more design-focused product launches. It builds on the model's legendary reputation for reliability and durability with significant enhancements in every aspect of its design and engineering."

The Corolla's design theme combines clean lines and balanced proportions to give the new vehicle an immediate visual impact through a more sophisticated and advanced look. At 4,620 mm long, 1,775 mm wide and 1,460 mm high, the new Corolla is 80 mm longer and 15mm wider, yet 5 mm lower, than its predecessor.

The 2014 Corolla presents a more compact and sportier appearance through a basic shape that tapers at the front and rear of the vehicle.

A body color lineup with a wide range of colors ensures high product appeal through 7 exterior body colors — super white, white pearl crystal shine, silver metallic, gray metallic, black mica, blue metallic and dark blue mica.

The 2014 Corolla's interior matches the visual impact of the exterior and adds a new level of refinement. The new Corolla's longer +100 mm wheelbase creates a more spacious interior to offer outstanding rear leg room.

The Corolla offers two engine variants. Customers can choose a 1.6 liter engine, which has 4 cylinders, in-line twin cam, 16-valve DOHC with dual VVT-I, electronic fuel injection system, maximum power of 121 HP (net) and maximum torque of 15.7 KG-M. The second option is a 2.0 liter engine, which has 4 cylinders, in-line twin cam, 16-valve DOHC with dual VVT-I, electronic fuel injection system, maximum power of 143 HP (net) and maximum torque of 19.1 KG-M.

In terms of transmissions, customers can choose an automatic transmission, which has a 4-speed super electronic control transaxle (ECT).

The new Corolla has been engineered to provide the highest active and passive safety standards, and enhanced pedestrian impact protection. The collision safety performance of each component has been maximized through extensive computer aided engineering (CAE) and repeated experimental prototype testing.

In the case of the brake mechanisms, the brake booster characteristics have been changed to enhance the brake feeling. The brake control system has anti-lock brake system (ABS) with electronic brake force distribution (EBD) to help ensure vehicle stability during braking. A brake assist feature is also available.

From a passive safety viewpoint, the Corolla's impact absorbing body structure absorbs and disperses impact energy during collision.

To help reduce the impact of a collision on occupants, the Corolla is equipped with SRS airbags for the driver and front passenger.

Yaris 2014 launched

Meanwhile, ALJ Toyota unveiled the 2014 Yaris at a recent event themed a "New star coming to town." The all-new Yaris encompasses a more stylish and flashy exterior, smart and more spacious interiors comprising a quiet and refined passenger cabin, enhanced safety features and responsive driving dynamics. All these outstanding specifications drive the all-new Toyota Yaris to the highest level in the compact sedan category. The 2014 Yaris reflects Toyota's "vibrant clarity" design theme, creating an impressive look that is claimed to be a cut above comparable sedans.

The features that stand out with the Yaris 2014 are a new stylish look and dynamic performance — “attributes you can find in Cristiano Ronaldo when you watch him on the pitch.” said Adel Ezzat, MD, marketing, ALJ, authorized distributor of Toyota in Saudi Arabia.

“This is one of the reasons why we chose him as a brand ambassador for the new Yaris 2014. Cristiano's engagement with Toyota also stands in line with Toyota being the official automotive partner of the ALJ League. The new Yaris 2014 is a car for young people and we are glad of the fact that Toyota's role as the official automotive sponsor of the ALJ League enables us to engage directly with football fans and the Toyota lovers among them. Our sponsorship objective is to add excitement to the game and we are sure that the new Yaris 2014 stands in line with this objective, which is why we will find the new Yaris a regular guest at the Kingdom's stadiums,” he said.

The new look Yaris will definitely be at the top of the list for Saudi customers when they look for a sedan that combines superior value and dynamic performance with style and durability, he said, adding: “With its increased body size to offer a spacious and class leading interior and its excellent handling stability and ride comfort, the Yaris represents Toyota's strong commitment to offer a great customer experience backed by Toyota's acclaimed quality standards and emphasis on passenger safety.”

The Yaris comes with a total of eight exterior colors, including three newly developed colors: The quartz brown ME, the silky beige ME color and the frozen blue ME color.

Its interiors are roomier. It also enjoys larger trunk volume and excellent usability created by dimensions that allow easy loading, unloading and stowing of items of various sizes and shapes.

From a safety perspective, the all-new Yaris offers an array of safety features such as standard driver and front-passenger dual-stage airbags (SRS), including whiplash injury lessening (WIL) for the front seats, which simultaneously cushion the head and torso of the front seat occupants during a rear-end collision and alleviate the impact to the neck region to help reduce injuries to that area. Seatbelt pretensioners and force limiters are also available for the driver and front passenger seats.

Like all Toyota vehicles, the Yaris features Toyota's star safety system that includes anti-lock braking system (ABS), brake assist (BA) and electronic brake force distribution (EBD). The electronic brake force distribution (EBD) utilizes ABS hydraulic control to optimize the distribution of braking force between the front and rear wheels.

The Yaris will be available with the option of a 1.5 L (1497 CC) or a 1.3 L (1299 CC) choice of a 4-speed automatic gearbox or a 5-speed manual gearbox. A new EPS ( electric power steering) control has also been adopted, which provides feedback to the steering wheel even in a near-neutral position.